How To Date Your Best Friend
by Uchuuwrites
Summary: Peridot always thinks it can't be her because she's cute and smart, she prioritizes logic over all else and is also extremely dedicated in relationships. She cannot figure out why she's still single.


She taps the pen against her notepad as she continues to think of all of the things that make her such a suitable companion. Her recent date ended in a disaster but it was something her mother set up in hopes of getting a promotion from her boss. During the date the woman was more focused on any sexual skills Peridot might have and not who she was as a person. She's been on worse dates before and is constantly finding men and women who just waste her time. She always thinks it can't be her because she's cute and smart, she prioritizes logic over all else and is also extremely dedicated in relationships. Even with her list of things that makes her such an amazing and suitable partner, she cannot figure out why she's still single and why none of her past relationships have extended any farther than a second date. She groans, drawing a line down the middle of her page and scribbling out a bunch of things she wrote in a corner. Maybe it is her, she starts to think as she begins writing out some of her bad traits; but even things like her slight possessiveness and the possibility of her being self absorbed weren't bad things and she herself finds them rather endearing.

The list was getting her nowhere and her coffee was getting cold in the mug next to right hand. She drops her pen, wraps her fingers against her mug and looks up to her friend who is in the middle of her second piece of blueberry pie. Her lips are stained purple and it does a poor job of trying to match the silver-purple of her hair. Peridot sighs again as she stares at her, takes a sip of her coffee and it's bitter and cold, practically undrinkable she decides as she sets the cup down again.

"Okay, are you going to like sigh all day or are you going to tell me what's up?" Amethyst looks up at her as she takes another bite of her pie.

"How does Pearl have two successful relationships after never dating a single person in her life and I'm sitting here with the inability to come up with a number of all of the failed dates I've been on?" She always turns back to her friends polyamorus relationship because Amethyst identifies that way and was currently half dating a friend of hers while still going to clubs and hooking up with other women. She's never been looking for a relationship but constantly found herself entwined in one.

Amethyst shrugs, "I don't understand what was wrong with that woman you went out with. I mean, you did have sex with her." She sets her fork down and picks up the glass of water to take a sip before setting it back down.

"Yes, but I want a relationship and she wanted sex. I mean, both would also be ideal."

"You don't need other people to jack off. I mean, I use these babies right here," she wiggles her fingers and laughs.

"I'm serious. I've been on a countless number of dates and I've even tried dating websites but none of the people are ever who they claim to be. I mean, there's nothing wrong with me! I'm not hideous to look at and I have a degree in bioengineering."

"Well, maybe you come off too strong? You know they say that men don't like smart women. Those people are fucking stupid, but you know."

Peridot whines as she drops her head down onto her notebook. "Would you date me?"

"I mean, I don't really have a type so sure."

Peridot lifts her head up again, "how do you not have a type? Everyone has a type. I tend to go for really strong women. Not like, physically even though that's nice but personality wise. People who are good at voicing their opinion and know what they want and how they're going to get it. I also like impulsive people, they help to get me out of my shell like you did."

"Aw, I'm flattered, Pear." She picks her fork back up to finish the rest of her pie, "I don't know. I've never really had a crush on anyone before and I mean I don't really date people. I go to bars and hook up with strangers."

"And you don't want a relationship? I mean, you don't look at Pearl and Rose or Pearl and Garnet and think wow, I want something like that?"

"Because that's exactly what I want," she replies sarcastically. "The only poly relationship I really need is with my left hand and my right." She goes back to eating, never mentioning the girl she has been seeing and Peridot had always been curious about who it was.

Peridot rolls her eyes, knowing she's getting nowhere talking with Amethyst about relationships. It's because she hates talking about them and doesn't really care if she spends the rest of her life with twenty cats in a small apartment. She's never really sure why Amethyst avoids the subject or tries deflect or make some inappropriate joke but she does. She's used to it by now but at the same time wishes they could talk about it because they were best friends.

"Look," Amethyst starts and Peridot perks up, "I'm not knocking Pearl's relationship, because I love her and it's great that she's doing so well and she's happy but..." She sets her fork down on her empty plate, "honestly? I guess I'm sort of jealous? Don't tell her I said that."

"You're dating that girl you met, right?" Peridot watches the waitress come over and she asks for another cup of coffee and moves her notebook from the table so she can grab plates. She shoves her notebook back into her bag and then looks back over to Amethyst.

"Yeah but I don't know. She travels a lot and has another girlfriend and it's not a problem but I don't know." She sighs knowing she keeps repeating herself, "how are two people who are horrible at relationships ever going to find someone?"

"I think the only thing they can do is date each other." She blinks, "I didn't-"

"No. You're good." Amethyst reassures her and then chuckles, "imagine us dating. A couple of members of the broken hearts society and when that relationship doesn't work out what then? Who is left in Beach City for you to date?"

The waitress comes over and sets Peridot's drink on the table along with the check and in seconds she already is messing with the sugar container to dump an obscene amount into her drink before adding milk and stirring. "Do you think if we dated our relationship wouldn't be successful? Honestly, we have a lot of qualities that fit each other and not to mention our zodiac signs being a perfect match. Although, I get that it could be a little intimidating to date me."

"I'm not intimidated." Amethyst crosses her arms.

"Oh? Well, the last person I had more than a sexual encounter with was actually afraid of me because I'm "stubborn" and it's a "challenge" to date me. What's wrong with a challenge?" She picks up her cup and blows on the hot liquid before taking a sip.

"Fine. Challenge accepted."

"What?" She raises an eyebrow.

"I'll date you. I'll fucking do it. I'll date the fuck out of you."

"Amethyst-"

"No. You're going to keep going on about how people don't like you and your relationships don't last but like people tell you you're stubborn and you're possessive but you turn it into a good thing."

"Well, I like to think of myself as a positive person. What? Do you want to be like a survey to see why I can't find someone?" She didn't have any better words for what Amethyst was trying to do.

"Sure. I'll come over tonight and we'll watch movies and drink wine and order out."

"How is that a date? Isn't that like what we do almost every night?" She sets her cup back onto the table.

"Don't care. I'll be over at seven. Also, it's your turn to pay." Amethyst stands up from the booth and grabs her jacket before leaving.

Peridot's not sure how it happens but having some sort of date night with Amethyst wasn't as bad as she expected it to be. They still watched their normal bad horror and action movies, ordered from the same place they normally did on Friday's but Amethyst brought over two bottles of wine and they cuddled up on the couch just like they normally did. It wasn't any different, she didn't see it as a date but Amethyst puts her arm around Peridot and it's comfortable.

By the second movie, Peridot has to keep the wine away from herself and she lies down on the couch, watching Amethyst more than she was the movie. She's not sure how this was supposed to be a date because they weren't doing anything different. Unless, Amethyst was trying to prove their friendship was more than a relationship. Peridot's never had a real relationship outside of a few dates over the span of a month. There was no spending time together or hanging out with them outside of the dates. Possibly messages between the two or phone calls but nothing that screamed girlfriend. Honestly, Amethyst was really the closest relationship she had with anyone.

She tries to focus on the movie but Amethyst is distracting her. Them dating would be quite an adventure. She knew this wasn't a date and she knew Amethyst wasn't serious about them being in a relationship because she mentions it halfway through one of the movies.

"Dude, I love this movie." Amethyst laughs as she sets down her cup and watches the credits roll. "I love when people fight and like...Whatever the hell they're trying to do works, like, boomerang blade! Aw yeah, I love Lonely Blade."

"It's...Not a horrible movie but the idea behind half of it is inconceivable." She stretches her legs out, slips her feet against Amethyst's thighs and leaves them there. "Like, I have to agree with the reviews and ratings." She's rather distracted tonight, just over thinking about why Amethyst was so annoyed about their normal ritual of her complaining about relationships.

"Hm, I don't think we're watching the same movie." Amethyst looks down at Peridot and is about to say something else before she stops. "I forgot you had a tattoo," the ink is peeking out just where Peridot's tank top rises.

Peridot doesn't know why but she can feel herself blushing when Amethyst says it and it's even worse when Amethyst moves and settles in between her legs so she can reach out and touch it. It doesn't bother her, the two have seen each other naked before and Peridot has certainly touched Amethyst in weirder places. This just feels right. She watches Amethyst push the fabric of the shirt up just a little, hand pressing against her skin and her fingers circling over the lines against her ribs.

"I thought this was supposed to be a date." Peridot mentions.

"Oh that? I thought I told you I was kidding. Can I lift your shirt up?"

"What? Oh, the tattoo." She shakes her head, "yeah, go ahead."

Amethyst slips her fingers underneath the hem of Peridot's shirt to rise it up a bit higher. Wanting to fully admire the ink as the roses and vines slid up underneath her right breast. It's a big piece and she spent a few months getting it done and colored but Amethyst still isn't sure what made her want to do it in the first place.

"You've never uh, done this before." Peridot swallows hard, trying to keep herself from getting so nervous over Amethyst's hand against her skin.

"What? Do I make you nervous, Peri?" She snorts, pulls her hand back and crosses her arms against Peridot's lower stomach to rest her chin. "Would you want to date me though? Like, for real."

"Where's this coming from?"

"I don't-" She sighs, "I don't know. It's not important."

"Well, I've given it some thought. If you want me to date you, all you have to do is tell me you're madly in love with me and announce it from the rooftops."

"Pass." Amethyst pulls away from Peridot and sits with her back against the arm of the couch.

Peridot slowly gets an idea, "is that what this is?"

"Is that what what is?"

"Do you like me?"

"What? No."

Peridot's sure she saw Amethyst blush and she sits up on the couch and she's sitting rather close to Amethyst now. "Are you blushing? Oh my stars, you do." She pulls her shirt back down into place and snickers at Amethyst's reaction.

"No, I don't. Shut up."

"This makes perfect sense. It explains why you've always been so avoidant of my past relationships and why you always get that look of distress whenever I talk to you about them."

"No, you doof. Maybe you're the one in love with me. Maybe you sabotage all of your relationships on purpose just so you can come cry to me about how they failed."

"You've been watching too much Dr. Phil." Peridot laughs, "how about...We are both interested in each other?"

"I could see that maybe being true."

"And us dating would only add a more intimate dynamic into our already close relationship as friends."

"Does this mean I get to see you naked again? Score one for me." She makes a strange gesture and then pushes some hair behind her ear. "Seriously, I don't want to ruin our friendship if your bad luck with relationships comes back and bites me in the ass."

"No need to be rude."

"I guess no amount of screwing up is going to stop us from being friends. I live like two blocks away from you. You also have my collection of glow in the dark rocks."

"Do you mean those rocks you painted with glow in the dark nail polish and then threw through my bedroom window to wake me up? You broke my lamp and the window and I got in trouble for it. Those rocks are gone."

"You threw away my rocks? How ever will you repay me?

Peridot rolls her eyes. "I have an idea."

"Yeah?"

"You know how in movies when two people are like right for each other they have some sort of impossible "magical" kiss?"

"If you wanted to kiss me all you had to do was ask. I know you think I'm hot."

"It's clearly for science. It's to see if we have some sort of emotional connection. Besides, kissing sort of brings up a whole bunch of physiological process especially because kissing itself is really calming and causes the brain to produce-"

"Hey, science lesson, come closer."

Peridot blinks, crawls in between Amethyst's legs and waits there. She was anxious, more because kissing or touching sometimes made her feel that way especially when it was someone new or someone like Amethyst. She might have had a small crush on the woman but she always saw it as them being friends and being extremely close. It was normal to have a crush on a friend but the more she thought about it, she was beginning to think it was possible she was dating other people to hide how she really felt and bragging and complaining to Amethyst was just to get a reaction out of her.

She's too busy thinking and that's who she's always been. Someone putting way too much logic into situations that clearly didn't call for it. So caught up in her own thoughts that Amethyst's hands pressing against the sides of her head is what makes her focus and pay attention to Amethyst; the deep color of her eyes, the curve of her cheeks, the plumpness of her lips, and the flustered look on her face. She's never seen Amethyst so embarrassed before.

Amethyst leans forward, tilts her head and presses her lips against Peridot's. At first it was just their lips pressing against each others and Peridot was fine with it. She was comfortable with the strong scent of old spice that Amethyst tended to use to shower and comfortable enough that her hands relaxed against Amethyst's thighs and she presses into her lips even harder. She revels at how incredibly soft the touch is against her own mouth and whines when Amethyst pulls away.

"See...There's no romance whatever." She rolls her eyes, trying to hide the fact she liked kissing Peridot.

"You smell like old spice." It's the only thing Peridot can think of to say because she's lost almost all of her ability to form coherent sentences.

Amethyst snorts, "no duh. You satisfied with your "hypothesis"?" She's making fun of Peridot but drops her hands away from her at the same time.

"No." Peridot's feeling impulsive, she wants to kiss Amethyst again and maybe even do more than just kiss her. She tries to put off those other impulses and settles for just kissing.

Amethyst doesn't protest when Peridot kisses her, she even grips her hands against Peridot's hips and starts rubbing circles underneath the cotton of her shirt. She swipes her tongue against Peridot's bottom lip, practically begging for her to part her lips. It's not just her lips that taste like grape wine that she likes but the heat of her mouth, the whines coming from Peridot and way she tries to roll her hips down against hers.

"I see what sort of game you're playing." Amethyst snickers when she pulls away.

"You think I'm going to lure you into some false sense of security and what? Try to sleep with you?"

"You said it, not me."

"Do you want to?" Things with Amethyst had always been so comfortable in the past and she felt there was always very little standing in the way of them being together. She wonders if Amethyst feels the same way; if both of their fears of losing each other made it impossible for them to try to start a relationship.

"What?" Amethyst blinks.

"I'm not good at reading people but maybe we're the same? Maybe we're afraid of hurting each other?"

"Dude, you're gorgeous and I would have jumped at the chance when we met but..." She sighs, "it was just easier to have you as a friend without all the complicated feelings. Especially after everything with your mom. I didn't want to be a bad influence.

"Well, sucks for you because you are a terrible influence." She sticks her tongue out and Amethyst rolls her eyes. "Really...Maybe we should give it a test run?"

"I feel like if we don't try things are going to get super awkward between us really fast. Especially since your knee is digging into my crotch."

"Oh!" Peridot moves her legs and sits back on her heels, "better?"

"Yeah, so...If I say yes to dating you does that mean we can go back to kissing?"

"Don't say yes because you want to kiss me. Say yes because you like me and want to date me." She huffs.

"Fine, fine. We'll try it and see what happens but expect to see me naked on the first date."

"I thought this was the first date?"


End file.
